Matthew Bulow - China, 2017

Arrival

After a 14 hour plane ride from Detroit to Beijing, we immediately entered an airport full of commotion. We were approached by numerous locals asking for our business. From this moment on, we were treated as celebrities in every place we went. From the airport, we took a taxi and arrived at the hotel we would be staying at the night before we would meet our hosts. That night, or early morning in the United States, we were lucky enough to try the famous Beijing Roast Duck, a very unique and delightful meal. Extremely jet-lagged, our whole group went back to the hotel and tried to get as much sleep as possible before we would meet our host the next day. 

View from the Swissotel

Beijing

The following morning, we arrived early at Beijing No. 4 High School to meet our hosts and host families. The campus is quite small compared to MBA's, because it is hard to find much more space than they already have in such a populous city. After touring the school and campus, we were greeted by our hosts, who had just finished their final examinations of their school year. My host's name was Han Zhi Zhen. He is a very kind and intellectual person and it was a lot of fun to stay with him during my stay in Beijing. From the school, I rode with Han's dad and Han to arrive at his apartment, where I also met Han's mother. Han's family was very gracious and welcoming throughout my entire stay, making the transition into Chinese life much easier. As soon as I was settled, we immediately took off to begin our week long adventure through the streets of Beijing. When we arrived at our stop on the subway, we were greeted by Colin and his host Jonas. Colin and I visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and finished our long day by visiting a marketplace. At the market, Colin and I bought many cheap trinkets to commemorate our stay in Beijing. 

Forbidden City with portrait of Mao 

Beijing Subway

During the rest of my stay in Beijing, I got to see many other cultural landmarks, including the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beijing Capital Museum. The Temple of Heaven was a very interesting place, as it used to be the place of worship for the ancient Chinese emperors. I was fascinated by the architecture of the Temple because of its intricate detail. I also really enjoyed seeing the Summer Palace, which used to be grounds for the emperor to live and vacation in the summer. The Summer Palace also had many amazing sights, including a covered walkway that had more than 1,000 ancient Chinese paintings. However, my favorite place that we visited during the entire stay in Beijing was the Great Wall. At the base of the lift to take us up to the wall, there was a small town and tourist venue that had many small shops and exhibits of ancient Chinese artifacts. The Great Wall completely surpassed my expectations, stretching much further than I thought any wall could. After nine days in Beijing, I arrived at the Beijing Nan Zhan (South Train Station) to meet Ms. Zhang and my other classmates. We boarded a bullet train and arrived in Jinan after 2 short hours.

Summer Palace

Ancient Artifact at Beijing Capital Museum

Temple of Heaven

Great Wall

View from Great Wall

Jinan

Da Ming Hu

Immediately at the train station in Jinan, I met my first host family. My host's name was Ho Xi Hao. He was very kind and fun, often making jokes with me. From the train station, this family immediately took me to a Sichuan style restaurant, where I got to try the spicy Sichuan cuisine for the first time. The following morning, Ho and I left very early to arrive at his school, Jinan Middle School. At this school, I meet my other classmates, and we got a tour of this school, a very pretty school with a large and spacious campus. When our tour was over, Ho and I went to his favorite gym, where I got to play basketball with Ho and many of his friends. After playing basketball, Ho and his parents took me to his uncle's restaurant, where I tried a very delicious dish called hong shao rou which translates to braised beef. To end the day, we visited Jinan's most famous landmark, a lake called Da Ming Hu. The next day, Ho handed me off to my next host, Yan Xing. I was only to stay with Yan for a single day, but it was very memorable nonetheless. During my stay with Yan, I discussed the differences between American and Chinese culture for hours on end. I met my final host, Peter Wang, the following day. During my stay with Peter, I visited Jinan's famous natural springs located directly in the middle of the bustling city. On the day of our departure from Jinan, I met with John and his host at his host mother's pottery shop, where I was taught how to make ancient Chinese pottery. A few hours later, my classmates and I boarded another bullet train and set off for the last city of our trip, Shanghai. 

Shanghai

After a 5 hour train ride, I met the last host of my stay in China. His name was John Chan. On the first day in Shanghai, my classmates and I met at Jiading Juyuan Liuli Xiaoxue, a school that houses children of migrant workers who work in big cities, but are unable to take their children with them. At this school, we taught these students English through many fun songs and dance. The next day, I went with John to the Shanghai's famous Oriental Pearl, a very interesting building architecturally. The Oriental Pearl is one of the world's tallest buildings, so I got to take a lot of pictures of the stunning views. On the day before our departure, my classmates and I met Ms. Zhang at the Shanghai World Financial Center, the second tallest building in Shanghai. While I have no pictures from the top of this building as I was too afraid to look around, I have pictures of these buildings on ground level. That night, we boarded the Shanghai harbor cruise, viewing the beautiful lights of the city. After 18 days of learning and experiencing, our trip came to an end as we boarded the plane to depart. 

Oriental Pearl

Shanghai World Financial Center on left, tallest building in Shanghai in middle

View of Shanghai from the Oriental Pearl

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I would like to thank the Wilson family for the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the Chinese language and culture during my trip. This whole experience would not be possible without the help of the Wilson family, so I am very grateful. I would also like to thank Ms. Zhang for coordinating such a wonderfully planned trip. 

Brandon Hall France 2017

The Trip

The trip from Nashville to Bordeaux was broken into many different parts. 3 other students, my teacher and I started in Nashville on the morning of May 27, we had a layover in Detroit that afternoon, had a 7 hour flight to Paris, and eventually ended up in Bordeaux the afternoon of May 28th. This gave a sleep deprived start to our 4 week journey in Bordeaux and Paris.

South France

La Sauque

Our stay in south France started in the school of La Sauque in a town called La Brede about 30 minutes from Bordeaux. With the new location came new people to meet. My host, Alexander, was the first of many people I met on this trip. The first day I was flooded with information. I was learning new names, learning different words I had never heard before, and, most importantly doing all of that while speaking French. The school year was ending for the students at La Sauque so the atmosphere at the school was very lax. There were also a number of activities that took place during our stay at the school. First of all, there were two plays that took place. One being a classic French tale and was performed in old French and the other being an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by the English class. Also they had two different "Olympiades" which were the equivalent to field day. The events were very different than the events at MBA. In the place of football they have soccer. Most people at La Sauque had never even played football before. After all of these activities we ended our experience at La Sauque and went to stay with our host families for about 2 weeks. The experience at La Sauque is one that had a great impact on me and one I soon will not forget.

Field Trips

The 4 MBA boys at the Dune de Pylat

Downtown Bordeaux

While at La Sauque, the group that consisted of MBA, St Cecilia and our hosts took trips to different parts of south France. The first trip took us to two different places near the school. The first stop we took was to the Dune du Pylat, the largest sand dune in Europe. It took us about 15 minutes to climb up the dune and the climb was definitely worth it. The second stop we took was to a beach town called Arcachon. We toured the historic town and then got a chance to take a quick trip to the beach. A couple days later, we took a trip to the Chateau de Roquetaillade. The chateau was a massive stone castle that was built on the top of a hill looking over the french countryside. Lastly, we took a trip to downtown Bordeaux. We toured and learned about the history and then we explored the Rue de St. Catherine which has many things to do like go to the main plaza or shop. 

Host families

A panorama of the beach in Biarritz, the hometown of Pierre Amourous

Over the course of 3 weeks in south France I stayed with two families. Firstly, I stayed with my host Alexander and his family assigned to me for most of the time in a town called Ambès. The small, peaceful town was about 45 minutes away from Bordeaux with a lot of countryside between the two. I feel like I was a perfect pairing with my host because we both had similar interests. I even jokingly called him the only French person who could play football because he loved everything to do with football from watching highlights to playing Madden 17. With my host family I went on day trips to different parts of France. One day My host family took a trip to the aquarium in La Rochelle then we went swimming at the beach in Royan. I also went with my host and a couple friends back to Arcachon for more time on the beach.  For 1 weekend, the 4 boys on exchange stayed with the family of Pierre Amourous, the student who came to MBA for a semester last year, in his hometown of Biarritz. While we were in Biarritz, we all did things that none of us had done before. We surfed, ate foods that we had not eaten before, and played a game called petanque. Pierre acted as our surfing coach for the day and we all had fun trying to stay on the board and consistently wiping out.

The Centre Pompidu

Paris

The Museums

One of the most prominent features of the Paris trip was our frequency of visiting museums. We visited the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Picasso Museum, and we visited the modern art museum twice. My favorite museum was probably the Musée d'Orsay because it had the art from all points in history like the Louvre, but the Louvre was so massive and had so much art that it almost hurt. The most interesting building by far was the modern art museum in the Centre Pompidu. The modern architecture was like none I had seen before, and the picture to the right does not capture its true, massive size. 

The Monuments/ Historical Sights

Panorama of the palace at Versailles

The historical sights in Paris were magnificent in the sense that there were so many of them and yet each one seemed to outdo the last. The historical sights that we saw were the Arc de Triomphe, La Madeleine, The Chateau at Versailles, The Catacombs under Paris, and last but not least, the Eiffel Tower. The Arc de Triomphe was a great sight to see, and it was even more fun to be on top of it. There was a catholic mass that we attended in La Madeleine with songs from their massive organ that shook the room. The Chateau at Versailles was a sight to behold in its sheer size and also it looked almost heavenly with its gold inlay that seemed to be everywhere. The Catacombs were as creepy as they were cool with bones covering almost every inch of the walls from floor to ceiling. Lastly, the Eiffel tower looked like a sparkling rocket when it lit up at the sunset.

The Food

In Paris, as one would imagine, there were definitely a lot of choices for food. From Breton crêpes to Thai food, Paris had it all. The shops on the side of the street were also quite interesting. There were little street bakeries selling croissants that would put any American croissant to shame. The most different item of food that I ate while I was in Paris was the escargot. The way they were prepared the snails were such that they were still slimy and had a "snail like" texture, but they tasted delicious. 

Thanks 

I would like to give sincere thanks to the Wilson family for helping make this trip possible. This whole experience has really broadened my horizons and I will never look at the world the same way again. This trip definitely makes me want to go back to France and see all of the things I might have missed.

Jack Sullivan, Trip to Bordeaux and Paris, 2017

This summer I had the privilege of traveling to France with three fellow MBA students to stay at Lycee de la Sauque, a boarding school outside of Bordeaux, France. We departed May 30th and began our three-flight journey to Bordeaux. Once we reached Paris as a group, we said goodbye to Mr. Trotter, our teacher who accompanied us on the flight there, as we were not to see him again until three weeks later in our stay. We then flew to Bordeaux where we were welcomed by Mme. Leclerq, an English teacher at La Sauque who is in charge of exchanges. She took us to the school where, once we groggily got out of the car, we were greeted warmly.

Paris, as seen from above at the end of our transatlantic flight

The group upon arrival in Bordeaux

     

First Impressions

When I arrived at La Sauque, I had not slept for 36 hours and was trying to remain awake until bedtime that night in order to avoid jet lag. The students' greeting assured that I would make it to bedtime as we were quickly swarmed with students, both our hosts, other students interested in meeting us, and even Amaury, who had been an exchange student at MBA. After a quick lunch we got to play sports with the boys. I chose to play soccer, and I was thoroughly embarrassed by the French boys as they all tried to do their best tricks on the American. I enjoyed getting to know a few of the French boys quite quickly and developed friendships with others as time went on.  

The main administrative building at La Sauque

The well-manicured lawn and courtyard at the center of campus

Time at La Sauque

My time at La Sauque was full of highlights. While we were there, the school was in a post-exams period. All the students had taken their final exams, so all of the classes we saw were going over these exams before the students left for summer. Because it was the end of the school year, there were many antics and not a lot of focus in the classroom. Despite these small distractions, I was able to enjoy a few classes such as math, physical sciences, and English class. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to attend an English class for people who speak another language, so I thoroughly enjoyed having this dream fulfilled. In classes, I noticed that the students were less respectful to their teachers than we are at MBA. This difference could have been due to summer looming so closely, but it seemed like they behaved this way regularly. I also saw in their English class that they do not consistently speak English while trying to learn it. In our French class we are only allowed to speak French, and I think this difference is why we Americans were far better French-speakers than the French were English-speakers. 

Because it was the end of the year and all of the classes were reviewing rather than learning, Mme. Leclerq planned many outings and day trips for us and our exchange students. The first of these was our second day there and my birthday. We went to la Dune de Pylat, which is the biggest sand dune in Europe. After a long climb to the top, we took some photos of the great views and played a game of American football in the sand. The same day we went to Arcachon, a beach-side resort town close to the dune which is situated on an ocean inlet, and saw some of the old chateaux along with a great view of the village from an overlooking tower. Another trip was an afternoon in downtown Bordeaux where we got to see the Rue Sainte Catherine, one of the longest pedestrian-only roads in Europe lined with all kinds of shops. We also took a tour of downtown and saw la Place de la Bourse, the center of trade in Bordeaux, along with a 15th century gate which protected the city and its river, the Gironde. Other outings included a visit to a 700 year-old castle, le Chateau de Roquetaillade, a canoeing trip, and a visit to the city hall of the town that La Sauque is in. At the city hall, I gave a speech thanking the mayor and everyone at La Sauque for hosting us and for their kindness.

The Dune de Pylat

The view from the tower overlooking Arcachon

     

Football on the dune

La Place de la Bourse in downtown Bordeaux

The 15th century gate protecting the city

Our group in Bordeaux

While at La Sauque, we also participated in some of the end-of-year events. These events included les Olympiades, which were the equivalent of our own field day. The French students, however, took their field day much more seriously than we do at MBA. They made t-shirts for their teams, painted their faces, made giant signs and banners, and came up with cheers to support their teams. The competition included soccer, basketball, archery, ping pong, tug of war, and relay races. Les Olympiades also gave me a glimpse into how incredibly competitive the French are. While some students had no zeal for the competition, the majority of them were willing to do anything for the team to win, no matter if it broke the rules or not. As I watched them compete vigorously and some of them cheat overtly, I asked one of the teachers if the French were always like this. He confirmed my suspicions and joked with me, saying I would probably go home and tell everyone that the French were cheaters. Les Olympiades also showed me that the French are far more coordinated with their feet than they are with their hands, as evidenced by their soccer prowess and their basketball ineptitude.

The different colored teams at Les Olympiades square off in tug of war. Here the white team all sport their matching shirts which have humorous nicknames on the back

The students at La Sauque also enjoyed many antics and pranks. Since it was the end of school and everyone was itching for summer to begin, these antics were at their peak while we were there. One of the traditions among the boys is to set off the fire alarms in their dorm building. The students then all get dragged into the hallways and then lined up in the gym as the night-guards try to figure out who did it. This tradition happened once while we were there, and it escalated as a boy set off a firecracker once everyone was in the gym. The teachers did not find the culprit that night, and the boys told us that they actually never figure it out and end up sending everyone back to bed after about 20 minutes. Most of the nights we were there the administrators actually shut the fire alarms off rather than have to deal with the pranks since they knew the boys would be antsy at the end of the year. This antsy atmosphere led to a food fight at breakfast one morning, and, on the last night we were there, The boys all grabbed their mattresses from their rooms, carried them into the hallway, and played dominoes with them as the boys got sandwiched in between them. We also saw the students perform a traditional dance after Les Olympiades. During this dance they all lined up sitting on the ground and put their arms in the air as someone "crowd surfed" over the line. It was quite the sight to see, and apparently it is a tradition at weddings or other big parties.

Walking through grapevines and 

the cathedral at the end of the march

My time at La Sauque concluded with the Marche de Verdelais, a day-long walk across the French countryside which ended at the town of Verdelais with its Calvary hill and stations of the cross. We walked close to 10 miles, pausing for a picnic around halfway, and finished with an optional mass at the cathedral in Verdelais. It was fun to get to see so much of the French countryside and to converse with all of the students while we walked. The march is a tradition for the school to end the year, so it was also very meaningful to get to take part in this tradition. After returning to the school, there was a short program, similar to MBA's honors night, and then we left to stay with our respective host families for a week.
          

Verdelais's Calvary Hill

Visit to Biarritz

We were incredibly lucky to go visit Pierre Amourous, a student at La Sauque who had recently stayed for a semester at MBA, at his house in Biarritz for a weekend. Biarritz is on the Atlantic coast of France very close to Spain. It is one of the top surfing destinations in Europe, and thanks to the generous invitation of Pierre and his family we were able to bask in its incredible beauty. Aside from surfing and swimming at the beach, we were treated to some fabulous sunsets over the ocean and some wonderful French meals courtesy of Mme. Amourous. One of my favorite activities was watching the giant waves crash against the cliff sides at high tide and send water flying everywhere as we overlooked the ocean. Aside from all the amazing experiences, it was great to see Pierre again as we had become very close friends during his stay at MBA.

the MBA boys and Pierre's family at dinner

Time with Host Family
My host Paul Labat was the equivalent of a sophomore at La Sauque. While I was with him I got to experience all sorts of French culture and cuisine. My first weekend at his house included a drive to a nearby town for the baptism of his baby cousin. The baptism took place in a small, old stone church in the center of a tiny town. The baptism itself was a Catholic service, but it was very similar to baptisms I have seen at my own church since I am Episcopal. While the baptism taught me a bit about the French church, it was the party afterward where I really learned about French culture. I got to talk with many of Paul's family members including his 96 year-old grandmother. I also got to sample a multitude of French foods. The meal was what the French call an "apéritif," which is the small course before the main entree. This apéritif was special because it never ended! Small finger foods ranging from oysters to charcuterie plates to fish to soups just kept coming out until hours later dessert was served. It was amazing to get to taste so much fantastic food, and I was assured multiple times that it was all of the best quality and from nearby, two things the French highly value.

Me trying my first oyster with Paul and his grandparents

The church where the baptism took place

Paul, an only child, lives in a tiny town called Targon, which is situated about 40 minute southeast of Bordeaux and is surrounded by vineyards. His mother made sure that we were not bored while I was there with many fun activities and outings. One outing which I really appreciated was a trip to a town market in a neighboring town. This town's cramped stone streets and main square were filled with vendors of all sorts of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and other products. I noticed that many of the vendors labeled their products with the specific department of France they came from, which again highlighted how much the French value freshness and farm-to-table dining. I also visited an abbey with Paul. It is in ruins today, but construction on it began in the 11th century. It was amazing to see such an old building that has lasted so long. Other outings included a day boating on the Bassin d'Arcachon, which is the ocean inlet on which Arcachon and the Dune de Pylat are situated, and a trip to visit Paul's grandparents, where I got to eat tons of oysters.

Me, Paul, and his grandparents at their house

The full streets of the town market

A view through the doorway of the old abbey

Me aboard my host family's boat with Arcachon in the background

        

I also visited St. Emilion, a world-famous wine-making town, and got to tour its wine caves and see its monolith church, which is underground and completely carved out of one stone. My time with Paul and his parents ended with a trip to Bordeaux, where I did some shopping and saw the massive cathedral, before I presented a few gifts to thank my hosts. I then packed my bags and went to the train station to meet up with the other MBA boys and our teacher M. Trotter before our train to Paris.

Me presenting Paul's family a towel with different Nashville landmarks on it

Me and Paul before my departure for Paris

The cathedral in Bordeaux

Paris

After a few hours in transit across the French countryside we arrived in Paris ready to take on the city of lights. Our first stop was the incredible Musee d'Orsay, located inside a restored train station. I loved the museum because I am a huge fan of impressionist and post-impressionist art, and it houses one of the some of the greatest collections of these movements in the world. I was like a kid in a candy store with bulging eyes as I got to see some fabulous Van Gogh paintings. 

Me and Vincent

Art was one of the highlights of my time in Paris. Besides the Musee d'Orsay, we visited the Centre Pompidou, Paris's modern art museum; the Dali Space, which houses a collection of Salvador Dali's works; and of course the famed Louvre. The Centre Pompidou and the Dali Space were certainly very thought provoking as the abstraction and modern art in the two museums were quite complex and often took some time to understand. I enjoyed deciphering the many paintings and pieces we saw in both places. The Louvre was magnificent in its grandeur. We gave ourselves plenty of time to walk through its various wings and enjoy the art inside because it is such an amazing place to see great and famous art. While I preferred the types of art on display in the other museums we visited, I was still blown away by the magnitude of the Louvre and its collections and the importance and fame of the art inside. 

Our group in front of the Centre Pompidou

Enjoying the sunset and the Eiffel tower

The sites we saw in Paris were also magnificent. We were lucky enough to be able to see the best of what Paris has to offer, and our teacher M. Trotter assured that we got to see the sites at the right times as well thanks to his expertise. For example, he timed it perfectly so that we were seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe during two beautiful sunsets. Some of my other favorite sites were the basilica of Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame cathedral, and the Palace of Versailles. Sacre Couer had both a beautiful interior and amazing views of the city from the top of its enormous dome. I loved basking in the grandeur of Gothic architecture inside and outside Notre Dame. Versailles showed not only architectural, artistic, and horticultural beauty, but also the extent of abuse of power on the part of the French monarchs that led to the French Revolution. I loved the history behind Versailles as well as its breathtaking size. We also got to go down inside the Catacombs and see thousands of human bones and skulls. The experience was at once creepy and fascinating given that I have never been so close to real human skeletons.

Fountains make up a water show in one of Versailles's smaller gardens

overlooking Paris from the steps of Sacre Coeur

Departure and Thanks

When our group left Paris, I was blessed to be able to continue on to Norway to visit my uncle and his family for a week rather than coming straight back to Nashville. I want to thank Mr. Paolicchi and M. Trotter for allowing me to continue on and visit my family as it was wonderful to see where they live and what their country is like for the first time. After visiting them I safely flew back across the Atlantic to my happily awaiting family in Nashville. Most importantly, I want to thank the Wilson family for this opportunity to see a new part of the world, learn about their culture, and have some incredibly fun experiences. Your generosity has given me some of the greatest experiences, meals, and memories I will ever have. Thank you. I would also like to thank Mr. Paolicchi for overseeing the travel program and for allowing me to go on this trip. Thank you to Mr. Gioia and his work in establishing a relationship between MBA and La Sauque. Lastly, thank you to M. Trotter for accompanying us, making sure we had what we needed at all times, teaching us about French customs and culture, making all our travels plans, finding us the best sites to see and restaurants to eat at, making sure we never got lost on the Metro, and for being a wonderful guide and companion.

Philip Scholer, German, 2017

The moment I saw my host brother in Frankfurt, the jet lag vanished, replaced by excitement of reconnecting with him and speaking with him and my host father father in German. That evening my host mother and sister welcomed me and, we, as a family, walked through the woods to dinner at the tennis club.  The next morning I attended the school, The Humboldt School, where I was greeted by a welcoming ninth grade class. Joe, a fellow MBA student, and I introduced ourselves to the teacher, who gave us the class's reading and sat down with us to explain it in German we would understand.  That simple gesture- the teacher's engaging with us in German- made us feel that we had a place in the class. In the afternoon, my host brother and I explored the city of Wiesbaden and found a nice park to sit and interact with his friends.

After school on the second day, Paul, my host brother, and I played doubles with my friends. Playing tennis was a perfect example of how one can learn a language: I learned tennis vocabulary, such as deuce and ad-in, by listening to what the Germans said at each point. After doubles, Paul invited me to his tennis lesson where I received instruction in German in a sport I play at MBA.   

That weekend, my host family took me to visit Strassburg in France. We walked around the "old city" and I talked with my host mother as she explained some German phrases to me. 

On Saturday I attended a Tanzkurse, dance class, with some classmates from the Humboldt School. I learned classic German dances such as the Waltz.

On Sunday, my host family took me to Ruedesheim, a town on the Rhine.

Paul, my host sister and I in Strassburg

My host father and I at Ruedesheim, Rhine River in background

Paul and I at the whine fields in Ruedesheim

The second week: On Monday I attended a Chemistry class and, with instruction from the teacher and help from a classmate, did an experiment in front of the classroom. That afternoon, Barack Obama's Kenyan half-sister spoke at the Humboldt School and we, as exchange students, were invited to listen to her speak. She discussed, in German, poverty in Kenya and solutions to the systemic problems that cause it.

On Wednesday, we took the train to Frankfurt, and we saw many architectural wonders that we had learned about in German class in the Humboldt School earlier that week.

The Theater of Frankfurt. It reads "To the true, beautiful, and good"

Paul and I after the Theater outside the Kurshause

Ms. Obama and I at the Humboldt School

On Sunday, my host family took me to a Ballet of Mid-Summer's Night Dream at the State Theater in Wiesbaden. My favorite part of that night was standing out on the balcony and talking about the show with my host family.

The last week in Wiesbaden: On Monday we visited the townhall. There, a teacher from the Humboldt School showed us the balcony from which JFK spoke to Wiesbaden. That discussion combined my interest in American History and German. That evening my host mother, Paul, and I went to Johannesfest, a carnival, to watch fireworks on the Rhine River.

On Tuesday, The Humboldt School invited us to a Wurstfest, a dinner with sausage, where we celebrated the exchange and ate potato salad and traditional German sausage. 

On Wednesday, I went on a field trip with Paul's science class to a volcano museum. We walked around the forest and took a tour of the museum. I enjoyed learning about volcanoes and doing interactive activities in German.

On Thursday after school, I visited the Kaiser Friedrick Therma, an old Roman Bath House. It was very relaxing and while in the baths I learned about the Roman's influence on Wiesbaden and German culture. In the evening I visited a book store and observed what books the Germans teenagers enjoyed reading.

The English Gardens in Munich

Friday was the last day and Paul's 16th Birthday Party. That night I said goodbye to Paul and all his friends.

Munich: We took the first day in Munich to reflect and learn about some of the history in Germany, visiting Dachau. That afternoon we walked through the English Gardens. The next day, we explored the BMW Museum, where we learned about German engineering. After the museum, we walked over to Olympia Park, from which we had an expansive view of Munich. In the afternnoon, we toured Allianz Arena, where Bayer Munich play. The stadium showed an important part of German culture: soccer.

Vienna:The first excursion in Vienna led us to Stephansplatz, a market area centered around the church. At a cafe adjacent to the church, we tried a sacher torte, Vienna's well known cake. As we walked down the side-streets, around every corner brought a new courtyard with gold plated statues and towering columns. We woke up early the next morning to visit Schoenbrunn, the Hapsburg family's summer palace. The tour taught us about the history of the palace and the Hapsburg family's rise to and fall from power. In the afternoon, we visited an antique book and print store and explored exhibitions at the Austrian National Library. Before dinner we stopped by for a coffee at Cafe Central, which Sigmund Freud and other thinkers frequented in their day. The next day, Herr Dougherty took us to the Leopold Museum, an art museum that held works from German classics such as Gustav Klimt. After the Leopold Museum and some cheese sausage, a Vienna specialty,  we toured an unforgettable modern art museum. That evening we explored the park and its gardens.On our last day, we continued to learn about the Hapsburgs, visiting the Sissi Museum, dedicated to the beloved empress Elizabeth.

Stephansplatz

Walking through Vienna

The antique book and print store

A park in Vienna

The Declaration of Human Rights Posted on the Parliament

Sacher torte

Herr Dougherty and Senor Paolicchi, thank you for organizing the trip and the exchange with the Humboldt School.
Wilson Family, thank you for this unique opportunity. It was more than a travel itinerary; it was a way for me to immerse myself in a language and culture with friends. Because of your generosity, for four weeks I enjoyed learning everyday and experiencing something new. I will not soon forget the impact this exchange has had on my live.